Meals on Wheels needs volunteers for holidays

Wed, 11/24/2010 - 9:43amCarolyn Cary

“Meals on Wheels” is a federal program designed to provide at least one meal a day to eligible seniors. These meals are delivered by noon, Monday through Friday, by volunteer drivers to at least 160 seniors. The program is administered through Fayette Senior Services.

The frozen meals are delivered early each morning from Atlanta. Four to five workers from several local organizations clean out each cooler, and place the appropriate number of meals into 17 different coolers, according to the needs on each of the 17 routes.

If you only have a few hours a month to take one of the routes, they welcome your service.

Volunteer drivers log in and out before they start their route, usually beginning at around 11 a.m. They check inside the cooler to be sure they have the correct number of meals for that route, and off they go.

Because the meal is frozen, each recipient must have a microwave. If they do not, one will be provided. For those recipients who are not able to stand to microwave their food, the volunteer will do it for them.

While there, of course, the well-being of the client is checked.

It must be mentioned here, that the volunteers pay for their own gas involved in their deliveries. There are generally four to nine stops on each of the 17 routes.

Collectively, Fayette County “Meals on Wheels” volunteers drive an average of 75,400 miles a year, which is equivalent to more than three times around the circumference of the Earth.

If you would like to be a part of this vital service to Fayette Countians, call Carla Landrum, at 770-461-0813. Your county needs you.